United States Says North Korea 'Begging For War' Amid Calls For Stronger UN Sanctions

The United States has called for tougher sanctions against North Korea at an emergency United Nations Security Council meeting. The emergency session was held after Pyongyang said it had detonated a hydrogen bomb.US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said the United States would circulate a new Security Council resolution on North Korea this week. It wants the member countries to vote next Monday. Haley said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was "begging for war."

"War is never something the United States wants. We don't want it now. But our country's patience is not unlimited. We will defend our allies and our territory," Haley said. Echoing the sentiments of her boss, President Donald Trump, Haley said the countries trading with North Korea were fanning the country's nuclear ambitions. "The United States will look at every country that does business with North Korea as a country that is giving aid to their reckless and dangerous nuclear intentions," she said.

Trump on Sunday, in a thinly-veiled attack on China, threatened to sever ties with any country doing business with North Korea. China, North Korea's biggest trading partner, highlighted the need for a diplomatic solution."China will never allow chaos and war on the [Korean] Peninsula," said Liu Jieyi, the Chinese ambassador to the United Nations. Russia also reiterated its stance, calling for a peaceful resolution to the crisis. It said sanctions alone would not solve the issue.